[en] The thin superconducting region next to the silver sheath in Ag-sheathed BSCCO-2223 tapes, which appears to be the high critical current density region was studied. Magnetic hysteresis measurements were performed on the 10 μm thin layer of Bi_1.8Pb_0.4Sr_2.0Ca_2.2Cu_3.0O_y near the silver sheath as a function of temperature, intensity, and orientation of the applied field with respect to the tape. The full penetration depth, B*, for a superconducting slab was found to have a power law dependence on temperature. Correlating the magnetic and transport measurements for the 10μm thin layer of Bi_1.8Pb_0.4Sr_2.0Ca_2.2Cu_3.0O_y near the silver sheath showed that the 'self-field' for a transport critical current of 20 A at liquid nitrogen temperature was approximately 0.04 T. Magnetization currents as a function of temperature and applied field oriented parallel and orthogonal to the thickness dimension of the tape, J_c(μ₀H_app, T), were determined from the magnetization loop width using a Bean model expression adapted for an orthorhombic sample. Only J_c(μ₀H_app, T) values for an applied magnetic field greater than B* were calculated. J_c values that were one order of magnitude higher than those previously reported were obtained. (author)